Wichita eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1886-1890, 1887-11-27
AMONG THE TElEGRAPHERS.
Busy Hours In q Great Temple of Elec
tricity.Swift Operators.

A busy scene was revealed when the
door opened. 1t was, indeed, a small vii
lage, for 500 operators were tapping away
at racing speed, while 100 clerks and mes
sengars swiftly fitted to and fro.
This is our day force" said Mr.. Bren-
nan, the assistant manager. Ninety
others take their places at night. The
fifty you sec up there in the gallery attend
to the commercial news, ticker service,
stock reports, ETC. They use the Morse
instruments.
''What proportion of the force is COM
posed of ladies?'
About one-fourth.
care they as efficient as menu
mot quite. Still they are very expert.
We have three married ladies. Most Of
the Wheatstone operators are women.
Have you any colored operators?"
mot one And so far as my know
ledge extends there is not colored opera
tor in the United States. At any rate,
never heard Of one.'
''Who ere the veterans of the service?"
'Well, there are two that have been ct
work for the company for quarter Of a
century. You see, we have but very few
gray or bald heads. The operators begin
work when they are about 10 or 16 years
old
Where are your operator nurseries"
''In the country. Nearly the entire
force took their first lessons in the offices
along the Erie, Pennsylvania and Hudson
River railroads, and in the eastern states.
Their ambition brings them here. They
get from $50 to SS5 per month, according
to length of service, efficiency and eX-
perience.
"What are those curious instruments on
which they are pounding with what look
like pegs?"
''Those are the Wheatstone automatic
machines. 1t works ST. Louis, Chicago
and New Orleans, and averages each cir
cult 2, 500 TO 8, 900 messages per day. The
regularity of the WheatStone instrument
is that the message is first punched for
transmission, and then these punched slips
are passed through a transmitting ma
chine, which records each dot, dash and
space in the corresponding machine at the
other terminus. Each stroke Of the pegs
represents dot, dash or space. The mes
sages received are printed OH chemically
prepared paper and are translated and
printed b. type writer's The Wheat
stone machine has been in use about four
years The operators average about the
same as the Morse operators"
wv hat teams turn out the most mes
sages?"
The operators on the broker wires
The Chicago BOARD OF trade and the New
York produce exchange handle GOO mes
sages, while only 800 are handled on the
main wires between the same cities. A
broker firm cuts its message as short as
possible and sign the name of Brown,
Bates 81 Brown, B. b. & while the full
name is given in general messages The
cable messages are like those OF brokers,
and more can be handled than Of ordinary
messages because of their shortness. "
GLOW fast do the cables work?n
They go just about as fast as AZ aver
age wire. We send message and get an
answer from London in seven minutes.
The cables to England and the land line 10
San Francisco are just about the same
length, $3.50 miles"
You make both ends meet here, don't
you:'
''Oh, yes. The operator on the right
works with Hearts Content |, 100 miles
east, and the operator next to him talks
with Omaha, 1, 800 miles west. We have
a circuit with Jacksonville of l, 100 miles,
and one with Galveston of 800 miles"
''Are any of the operators affected by
the work.
yes. Some of them get the teleg-
rapher's cramp from holding the pen in
one position for length of time. A large
number thus affected in their right hands
have learned TO use their left instead
'Do they get over it''
Not thoroughly The doctors have
just begun investigating it. Operators
can prevent it by proper exercise. New
York sun.